Draconian Bonds

Chapter 10: Witch of the Woods

I continue to wander through the darkness. The last thing I remember was the necklace exploding. As I continue through the darkness, unsure of where I am.

Could it be that I have died? I thought grimly. No, I can't die that easily.

I then see in the distance, a small flickering light. I start to follow it. It's not like there is anywhere else to go. I thought as I look around.

The flickering light didn't seem to grow as I continued to draw closer. I kept walking for a while, my thoughts flowing through my head. How long have I been wandering through the dark now? There is no way to tell time here... I thought grimly.

The light then flares up, blinding me for a few moments.

As soon as I could see again, I noticed that the darkness was now a forest that bore no leaves. The sky was black with a tint of red. I look forward again to still see the flickering light ahead of me.

I continued towards the light. As I drew near, the light took a shape of a small person. They wore a white overcoat with a hood on.

I walked closer, slightly relieved and cautious. "Excuse me," I say cautiously. "Can you tell me where I am?"

The figure slowly turns around, his hood covering his face. "Another wanderer," the figure says quietly. "You have wandered through the darkness to seek answers do you not?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I say unsure of what he means. "Where am I? Who are you? Are there others here as well?"

He holds up one finger. "You are in the world between darkness and sleep." He then puts up two fingers. "I go by no name since I have forgotten my name long ago. You may call me sage though." He then shakes his head and holds up a third finger. "There were but they had fallen."

I then tilt my head. "What happened?"

"This is where wanderers try to find their purpose in the world. Sometimes the people we think we are not is actually what we become." The sage looks down a bit. "Most of them do not live much longer after learning this."

"I see," I say understanding what happened. They went through what I was about to do before I met her. "How do I get out of here?"

"If you come with me to see a part of your past. The past is where most of the answers we seek are," the sage says pointing to his right.

Should I go with him? I thought to myself. It's not like I have any other choice really.

I start to walk in the direction he pointed to. The sage then starts to lead me through the bare trees.

After a few moments, we find ourselves in front of a door. A door that seemed familiar. The sage opens the door as light shines through.

After several moments of blinding light, I look around to see what looks like a child's room. A small bed in one corner with a toy box at the end of the bed. A dresser against the right wall while a bookshelf by the left wall.

"Do you remember this place?" The sage asks.

I felt strong nostalgia as I continued to look at the room. "This... was my room when I was very young," I say quietly.

I then see the many flashes of a small child with brown hair and blue eyes playing with toys or waking up from the bed.

"You seem to have been a very cheerful child at this point in time," the sage says watching the memories playing themselves out. "I say you seem to have a normal childhood."